Rugby World Cup warm up games

[ay2oh]

I know I'm in the minority on here but I don't feel any anger over it. Tigers got a big pay out for SB and KS at a time when Prem clubs are desperate for money. The others contracts were up. It's tough losing 5 coaches at once but I don't really see any malfeasance there.

When rumours around Watson getting a central contract that might benefit Tigers down the line leaked out there was some posts along the lines of, "the RFU owes us", when discussing why one club shouldn't benefit from such a deal. Which I didn't understand as Tigers were paid what they were owed in an early buy out of two contracts. If the buyout weren't big enough then that would've been on Tigers, namely Andrea et al. Brutal but it is pro sport at the end of the day.

I'm an England fan as well as a Tigers fan and want to see both do well.

I've hold a huge amount of anger towards the RFU's incompetence in many other areas but that isn't one for me.

understand what you are saying but the financial recompense doesn’t excuse the RFU from raiding one of their top clubs half way through the season which shows complete disregard and disrespect . Once Tigers had been approached they had no choice but to release SB and KS otherwise it would have resulted in a long drawn out legal battle. As I’m not particularly an England fan except hoping any of our players do well, I am indifferent as to whether they succeed or not.

[Tiglon]

With regard to SB's assistant coaches, perhaps the problem is that there is not so much of a draw to those roles as there used to be. I don't know how the money compares to club rugby, but few coaches come out of the England setup with their reputation intact, let alone enhanced, due to the unrealistic expectations of winning almost every match even when other nations have much better players.

Add to that the rumoured working hours expectations, and you've got to wonder, why would any experienced coach want the job? Particularly those having a nice time with their current employers.

[Darc Tiger]

https://www.lequipe.fr/Rugby/Actualites ... ie/1416747

Cockers, speaking to French media about England. I just google translated, but you get the idea.

[Dr H Flashman MBE]

Is it wrong to feel a degree of Schadenfreude if Tigers move forward from where they were last season whilst England crash with all of our coaches that the poached.

Nope..in fact I would suggest feeling a large degree of Schadenfreude is highly recommended if that happens…

[Dr H Flashman MBE]

I know I'm in the minority on here but I don't feel any anger over it. Tigers got a big pay out for SB and KS at a time when Prem clubs are desperate for money. The others contracts were up. It's tough losing 5 coaches at once but I don't really see any malfeasance there.

When rumours around Watson getting a central contract that might benefit Tigers down the line leaked out there was some posts along the lines of, "the RFU owes us", when discussing why one club shouldn't benefit from such a deal. Which I didn't understand as Tigers were paid what they were owed in an early buy out of two contracts. If the buyout weren't big enough then that would've been on Tigers, namely Andrea et al. Brutal but it is pro sport at the end of the day.

I'm an England fan as well as a Tigers fan and want to see both do well.

I've hold a huge amount of anger towards the RFU's incompetence in many other areas but that isn't one for me.

More Tigers than England, but I have no malice towards the RFU, more slight contempt. I 100% believe that we will be better this season than last. We have come out of this probably financially better off as I think Andrea is a very good negotiator and wouldn’t let us get rinsed. The RFU have got a set of coaches at great cost that may (and not their fault entirely) get dumped out of the group stages of a World Cup, putting them back to square one. Stick or twist Mr Sweeney. We have a highly respected Coach and staff from Australia with some great new signings.

[johnthegriff]

Broadly speaking I agree with Dr Flashman and ABC but there does seem to be an assumption that Tigers got a big pay out for relinquishing the services of Borthwick and Sinfield, I am not sure this is true as we know S.B was due to takeover from Eddie after the World Cup therefore it is unlikely there was a great deal of time left on his contract. That is of course if contracts of coaches include a finish date similar to a player otherwise they are like most employees where they simply hand in their notice and leave. We would not want to stand in the way of an employee achieving their ambition not would we want to regain a disgruntled employer as they are unlikely to give of their best.
Even if we received compensation it was not sufficient to prevent us needing further investment from our main shareholders to ease our cash flow situation so I doubt it was a substantial amount.
I am excited by our new signings, the development of so.many of our young players and our new coaches, roll on the season.

[Scott1]

Looks like Vermeulen has escaped a ban for those "punches". I'm sure there's a time limit on these things,is it 48 or 72 hours?

[sapajo]

Uncomfirmed Twitter talk is that Paul Willemse is out of the world cup with a thigh injury. The French are not having much luck

[Old Hob]

https://www.lequipe.fr/Rugby/Actualites ... ie/1416747

Cockers, speaking to French media about England. I just google translated, but you get the idea.

I like the idea that our chicken is easy. Pool? Poulet?

[Old Hob]

I'm not sure if this is the right thread but

There is a lot of discussion about money and I wonder if posters are aware that NZ rugby also seems to be struggling for cash. They have 26 provinces which, I must admit, I didn't know and they are struggling to break even. The professional game looks in trouble there much as it does here and in Wales.

https://www.reuters.com/sports/review-c ... 023-08-31/

[Scott1]

"Another comprehensive defeat by South Africa was greeted by vociferous boos, which sealed Jones’s fate. That ticket sales for the 2023 Six Nations were slow after a price hike had set alarm bells ringing at the RFU,"

I understand that there was price hike but they would have been slow anyway due to fans turning on Eddie. And that's why the RFU acted,that's all that matters to them. If they think Borths will affect 6N ticket sales after a dismal RWC he's gone ,sharpish! It will be up to the media team then to try and spin it with a new coach

[Tigersunited]

Broadly speaking I agree with Dr Flashman and ABC but there does seem to be an assumption that Tigers got a big pay out for relinquishing the services of Borthwick and Sinfield, I am not sure this is true as we know S.B was due to takeover from Eddie after the World Cup therefore it is unlikely there was a great deal of time left on his contract. That is of course if contracts of coaches include a finish date similar to a player otherwise they are like most employees where they simply hand in their notice and leave. We would not want to stand in the way of an employee achieving their ambition not would we want to regain a disgruntled employer as they are unlikely to give of their best.
Even if we received compensation it was not sufficient to prevent us needing further investment from our main shareholders to ease our cash flow situation so I doubt it was a substantial amount.
I am excited by our new signings, the development of so.many of our young players and our new coaches, roll on the season.

The shareholders put in something like £13m - so the alleged £1m we got in compo would be a drop in the ocean relatively.

[Old Hob]

Am I alone in thinking that Borthwick has made his own job so much harder by taking so many of Tigers coaching team with him?

Sure he inherited aged, demoralised side with minimal time before the World Cup.

But, aside from Aled Walters, how many of his coaching team had a meaningful track record and experience?
Sinfield had 1 whole season and his defensive structure seemed to have been sussed by the first half of last season. Wigglesworth looked lost, yet turned us around in the second half of the season but he only joined England at the end of the season.
Scrum coach- not sure that has been Tigers strongest suit over the past season or two. Some of that is down to the loss of Genge.

One issue could certainly be a lack of experience in the coaching set up from top to bottom. We had one of the best seasons ever at Tigers when we won the league but the start of the following season was looking a bit more shakey. There is no telling whether our coaching set up was going to develop into something special or were a one season wonder. England gambled on the former whereas it may prove to be the later. Only time will tell but SB's prickly relationship with the media coupled with the sometimes unpopular feelings towards Tigers in the media mean that the knives are very much out. That is made more difficult when you build a coaching team to work with and take with you as it is far more difficult to replace them to bring in new ideas.

Humble pie now being served.